I am currently in the process of going through a box of old nursing journals,
10-20 years old.It's interesting, but also discouraging.  I'm finding the
exact same basic information and ideas  about breastfeeding written 20 years
ago that we're still struggling to get accepted today!   Stuff like factors
that influence breastfeeding success, need for support, more baby-friendly
(although they didn't call it that then) hospital routines, etc.   Most of it
is the most common-sense no-brainer stuff, yet both the lay public and many
health care professionals still seem clueless.  I have a vague recollection of
learning in high school about the idea of "cultural lag" and I remember
something like 15-20 years for new ideas to get accepted in the culture (all
you sociology-anthropology types can help me with this).  But when I read
these articles it seems like we've made no progress at all.  Why do we have to
keep re-inventing the wheel and rehashing the same stuff ad nauseum??  Yes,
there has been a lot of research and we know more now about the details of
suck, latch, milk production,  short frenula,  jaundice, etc.   And we have
made some progress in terms of hospital routines.  But we're still dealing
with issues like time limits on feeds,  age of weaning, breasts seen as
sexual, and having to PROVE that breastfeeding is the normal way to feed
babies and makes a difference in public health!     And the same was true in
the articles on childbirth issues.  The exact things that were  being
discussed twenty years ago are still being presented as "new"; some things
have gotten worse.  There was even an article on national healthcare in AJN;
and we know how much progress we've made on that!  Yes, I know there are
powerful commercial interests spending lots of money making sure these things
never change or become common knowledge, but still...

As my mother used to say, it's like talking to the wall.  Or, in the case of
Lactnet, preaching to the choir.  Just feeling a little discouraged.  Miriam
Levitt RN, IBCLC